BIRMINGHAM is set to join a host of European cities in a scheme that aims to reduce carbon emissions across the continent.

The city council has been asked to join the The European Commission’s Covenant of Mayors on CO2 Emissions and Sustainable Energy.

The covenant requires cities to commit to delivering an action plan to reduce CO2 emissions.

Joining the covenant would give the city access to the expertise of other European cities who have already committed to it.

Deputy leader of Birmingham City Council Coun Paul Tilsley said: “Here in Birmingham we take the issue of climate change very seriously, so much so that we already have an ambitious target to cut the city’s CO2 emissions by 60 per cent by 2026.

“This challenging, but crucially important, goal was way before any national targets of a similar scale had been established, and the European Commission’s Covenant is another way of underlining the council’s commitment to the issue.

“The covenant allows us to show the rest of Europe what we are doing, as well as learning the best things that are being done in other cities.”

The council is currently putting a Carbon Management Action Plan and a Strategic Action Plan for the entire city in place which will be developed through BeBirmingham’s Environment Partnership.

A total of 91 cities have already signed the covenant. Birmingham and other cities including London, Manchester, Amsterdam, Berlin, Lisbon, Madrid, Paris, Rome and Stockholm now wish to join the list.